M11: Early Writing Instruction
How do we approach writing instruction with young children? Where do we start? What does it entail?
These are great questions and there are some important considerations when working with early learners. If you teach PreK or even K or 1st grade, you will easily see that students are at all different levels of development in regards to writing. Some can write shapes and lines but no letters, some write letters, others are writing their names, and some can write sentences.
Most early childhood educators begin with what children know. So one thing they often know is their names and how to write their names. Children also are highly motivated to write their names. You often hear kids say "that's MY letter!" when they see a word that starts with the same letter their name starts with. This is a great place to start. When I taught Kindergarten I had a morning routine that my students would come into my classroom and sign in (just like college students do) by writing their names on the "sign in sheet", which was a laminated piece of chart paper on the door. Then, they were to put their things away, find a comfortable spot, and then read for 15 minutes. They knew that if they finished their work at any point in the day before their peers, their choices were to "read, write or help someone". My students often chose to "write" in their journals.